Monday, December 15, 2008

A Perfect Start to the Day


Since I have been having really long days of rehearsals and shows, Adam and I haven't had as much of a chance to spend time together in the kitchen. On Friday night I came home to a computer screen full of fabulous Saturday morning breakfast ideas. We decided on Cranberry Scones and homemade butter. To make the butter all you have to do is put heavy cream in to a mixer and turn it on. Wait until it passes the whipped cream stage, letting the mixer keep doing it's thing. All of a sudden, butter will stick to the beater and buttermilk will sit at the bottom of the bowl. If you want to add flavorings or salt, simply add them before turning on the mixer. Sounds daunting, but if you can turn on a food processor and a mixer, you've got this meal made--literally.


Cranberry Scones (www.joyofbaking.com/CranberryScones.html, Stephanie Jaworski)

The recipe calls for topping the scones with sliced almonds, but we didn't have any so we used chopped pecans. You are also supposed to use dried fruit in the recipe in addition to the cranberries, but we didn't have any so we just increased the amount of fresh cranberries slightly. The contrast of the tart cranberries with the sweet bread and savory pecans works perfectly for an early morning treat.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
1/3 cup mixed candied fruit and peel
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 400 and place rack in middle of oven. Butter or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter by pulsing until it has formed a mixture looking like coarse crumbs. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Gently stir in the cranberries and candied fruit, making sure not to crush the fruit. Add the milk and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
3. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is 8 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and then brush scone with milk. Using a sharp knife, score the scone into eight pieces and then sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean.

Empanadas Ole!

Recently we have developed a new tradition with our neighbor by having Wednesday night dinners. We always prepare fantastic foods, drink a little too much for a Wednesday night, and have a glorious time! These nights make me actually look forward to Wednesdays. This past week Adam and I decided to re-create a dish from the Latin cooking class we took in August (as my birthday present--Thanks Mom and Dad!). I wasn't actually able to try the empanadas that were made at the cooking class, but the teacher suggested making them with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese, which is exactly what we did. We also made some more traditional empanadas filled with chorizo. We served both with a cilantro mojo sauce which will blow your mind! Mixed with homemade margaritas and a salad with black beans and avocado, this meal was a perfect hump day celebration!

A few notes:
1. I forgot to take a picture. Perhaps it was the margarita I had had, perhaps not. Nevertheless, there isn't an empanada picture.
2. I am going to give you the original recipe that has chicken and chorizo. For the chorizo empanadas we made, we followed the same recipe but simply omitted the chicken. For the butternut squash emapanadas, we roasted half a butternut squash for approximately 40 minutes in a 400 oven. Then, we mashed the roasted squash, that had been peeled, with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Next, we crumbled goat cheese into the mixture. That's it!
3. The dough is incredibly easy in the food processor and incredibly delicious!


Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas with Clinatro Mojo (Penelope Alzamora)

Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter (4 oz.)
1 cup cream cheese (8 oz.)
salt and pepper

Cilantro Mojo
1 tsp. toasted cumin seeds
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup cilantro
1 medium poblano chile, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

Filling
3 Tbs. olive oil
6 oz. ground chicken
1/4 cup chorizo, casing removed
1/2 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground ancho chile
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 Tbs. raisins
salt and pepper
12 green olives stuffed with pimento, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. of water

1. Dough: To make the dough, place the flour, butter, cream cheese, and a pinch of each of salt and pepper in a food processor until dough forms a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, start making the mojo and filling.
2. Cilantro Mojo: In a mortar crush the cumin seeds. Mash in the garlic and salt, then add and mash to a paste the cilantro, poblano, and jalapeno chile. Gradually stir in the oil and vinegar. Reserve.
3. Preheat the oven to 400.
4. To make the filling: Warm olive oil over medium high heat in a medium-sized pan. Add the chicken and saute, until cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and reserve. In the same pan, over medium-high heat, saute chorizo, garlic, onion, bell pepper, ground ancho chile, and cumin until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to pan; add raisins, olives, salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick and cut rounds using 3-inch or 5-inch cutter.
6. On each circle of dough, place about 1 Tbs. of filling. Moisten the edges with beaten egg wash and fold the pastry in half, pressing the edges together with a fork. Brush the empanadas with beaten egg.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Serve with cilantro mojo sauce.

A Meal to Warm the Soul


While browsing through some of my cookbooks, I found this recipe for Cottage Cheese-Dill Bread and was immediately intrigued. Adam and I are pretty much obsessed with cottage cheese, always having it in the house. It's getting a little colder here in Oakland, so I figured I would pair this bread with a hearty bean and green tomato-based soup. The bread and the soup turned out perfectly, warming the body and soul, head to toe.

Cottage Cheese-Dill Bread (The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Mollie Katzen)

Mollie Katzen suggests eating the bread with a thin spread of cream cheese and cucumber or of raspberry jam. Both are absolutely delicious. Adam and I had several breakfasts of an egg and the bread with raspberry jam.

a little butter or oil for the pan
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
a scant 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs
6 Tbs. milk
1/4 cup honey or sugar
4 Tbs. melted butter
3 Tbs. minced fresh dill (or 1 Tbs. dried)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a medium-sized loaf pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-large bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. Combine the cottage cheese, eggs, milk, sweetening, and melted butter in a separate bowl and beat well. Add this to the dry ingredients along with the dill, and mix just enough to thoroughly blend. The batter will be fairly stiff.
4. Take your time as you spread it evenly into the prepared pan. Let it bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan after about 10 minutes, and cool on a rack for another 30 minutes or so before slicing.


Collard and Chickpea Soup

I had originally wanted to make this soup with kale, but there was none to be found at Safeway when I went shopping. So, I settled for collards instead, and the soup turned out wonderfully. Any green you have on hand could be substituted if you don't have any collards available. One of the great things about this soup is that you most likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry or fridge already!

1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (24-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups collard greens, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the onion and celery in olive oil in a medium-large pot on medium heat. When the onion is translucent add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Add approximately 24 oz. of water to the soup. Add the collards and spices; allow greens to wilt and the soup to come to a simmer.
2. Taste the soup and adjust the spices to your liking. Serve piping hot.

Season of Sweets


Finally, I have a chance to write a new post. Sorry it's been so long. For those of you who don't know, I'm performing in Peninsula Ballet Theatre's Nutcracker. We've had shows every weekend in December and have one more. Really fun, but really exhausting and time consuming. Therefore, I haven't had any time to post my food or even cook amazing meals. We have found time to make a few killer dishes, and now I have time to share them with you.

We hadn't baked in a while, so we sifted through our pantry and came up with the ingredients for blondies with a bourbon sauce. We made the mistake of not using quick-cooking oats, which made them a little under-done while the rest of the blondie was a bit dry. Although our making of these blondies didn't turn out perfect, I would definitely give them another try. With coffee, these are a fantastic way to end the night (or even start the day, if you have a sweet tooth like we do).


Chocolate Chip Blondies with Caramel-Bourbon Drizzle (Cooking Light, November 2006)

We added more bourbon than they called for, so adjust the drizzle to your preferred bourbon level.

Blondies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 oz.)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cooking spray

Drizzle:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. whipping cream
1 tsp. bourbon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To prepare blondies, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Place 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-speed until well blended. Add egg substitute and egg to sugar mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.
4. Spoon batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
5. To prepare drizzle, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbs. butter, whipping cream, and bourbon in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour mixture into a bowl; chill 1 hour. Drizzle bourbon mixture over blondies; cut into 24 bars.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Savory Napoleons


We are still trying to clean out our fridge from all of the Thanksgiving festivities. Pulling from what we had, I came up with this idea to make a sweet potato Napoleon. We took sliced sweet potato, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta cheese and baked them all together. To top it all off, we mixed together a concoction of yogurt, thyme, lemon juice, and cayenne and drizzled it over the Napoleon. Although we should have sliced the sweet potato a bit thinner, these sweet potato Napoleons were restaurant-quality (almost, at least).


Sweet Potato Napoleons

I am not going to add any quantities for the ingredients because they can be used in any quantity. Roasted red peppers or spinach would be amazing additions to the Napoleon if you feel like straying from what we used.

sweet potato, sliced thinly into rounds
tofu, sliced thinly into rectangles about the size of the sweet potato slices
mushrooms, sliced
sun-dried tomatoes
feta, sliced or crumbled
plain yogurt
lemon, juiced
cayenne
fresh thyme

1. Steam the sweet potato by placing it in a microwavable bowl and microwaving for approximately 7 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender. Broil the tofu by placing it on aluminum foil, spraying both sides with cooking spray, and placing under the broiler until slightly crisp and brown.
2. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat.
3. In a baking sheet, layer the sweet potato, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta, starting and ending with sweet potato. We used 3 sweet potatoes per Napoleon. Bake in a 425 oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Mix together the yogurt, lemon, cayenne, and thyme (in your preferred portions) in a small bowl.
5. When the Napoleons have baked through, place on a plate and drizzle with yogurt mixture. Serve immediately.

Un-Thanksgiving Meal


Up until the last minute on Thanksgiving, we had planned on making creamed spinach as another side dish. We realized that it was completely unnecessary and decided to wait (thank goodness). So, we made a healthy version of creamed spinach served with smashed potatoes (which I have posted previously). It wasn't the most filling meal ever, but it certainly was a nutritious one.


Zesty Creamed Spinach (Vegetarian Times, November/December 2008)

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed but not drained
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook shallot 5 to 7 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add spinach, and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
2. Stir yogurt, lemon zest, and rosemary into spinach mixture, and season with pepper.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for this year, a wonderful family and plenty of food and drink to share are not among the least. Sadly, I wasn't able to spend this Thanksgiving holiday with the majority of my family, I was able to share an abundance of food with my loving husband, brother-in-law, and two of his friends, which turned out be a fantastic way to spend the holiday. It didn't hurt that we started off the afternoon with a wonderful cheese plate and sherry. Jeremy brought over blocks of bleu cheese, Manchego, and Roquefort. The Roquefort was absolutely to die for. The only unfortunate part was that we couldn't wait for Frank and Lori--they didn't get to try any of it. Oops.

In addition to our cheese course, we snacked on sweet pickles and olives that had been poached in olive oil, rosemary, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Jeremy added salt to the poaching liquid, which I would advise against. The Kalamata and Garlic Stuffed Green olives were salty enough. Other than that, they were a perfect accompaniment to the cheeses.

Because we were still hungry (yeah right), we had dinner not too long after our second course of cheese (because of course Frank and Lori brought over some Brie). Jeremy and Adam have decided that they are not huge fans of turkey. It always ends up dry. So, we decided to roast a duck with a pesto of parsley, thyme, and olive oil under the skin. It roasted for about 2 hours in a 350 oven in a roasting pan. It came out slightly overcooked, but that was because every guide we read said the duck would take 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Everyone said it was luscious though. It certainly looked it.

For me, the sides are the highlight of Thanksgiving dinner. We had the traditional mashed sweet potatoes with Marshmallow Fluff (no gelatin) scooped on top and browned. The sweet potatoes were steamed in a covered bowl in the microwave for approximately 7 minutes, or until softened. Then, the sweet potatoes were mashed with a hand mixer with 1 Tbs. butter, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 Tbs. (or so) of brown sugar. They were then put in a baking dish and topped with Marshmallow Fluff. They were baked in the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until heated through and marshmallows browned.

We also had my guilty pleasure of green bean casserole. I'm not quite sure why I love this dish so much. I feel like it goes against my everyday eating in all ways. In general, I hate gloopy, fatty things. But, for some reason, on Thanksgiving green bean casserole is where it's at. I mixed approximately 2 lbs. of green beans with 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1/4 cup milk. I microwaved the casserole for 5 minutes to softened the green beans, topped it with fried onions, and then baked it at 350 for 30 minutes.

Stuffing is another of my Thanksgiving favorites (I know, I have a lot of them). I tried to recreate my parents' stuffing as best I could, and I think I did a pretty good job. I mixed a bunch of leftover bread I had thawed from out of the freezer, including wheat bread, white bread, and corn bread. I sauteed a a finely chopped white onion, 4 finely chopped stalks of celery, and half a bunch of minced parsley with 1/2 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. olive oil until the onion is translucent and tender. After the onion mixture cooled, I combined it with the hand-torn bread. I added 2 eggs, 2 Tbs. poultry seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and water. The salt, pepper, and water will be to taste, as can the poultry seasoning. Mix everything together with your hands. Add enough water to make the stuffing fairly moist. It should be quite sticky. Taste it to make sure it has the seasonings you like. Stuff into the bird or place in a baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Adam and Jeremy really wanted risotto to serve alongside the duck. We made a mushroom risotto with onions, white wine, and vegetable broth. It paired perfectly with the hearty earthy-ness of the duck.

And because that wasn't quite enough food, Frank and Lori brought over a pot of rich Cream of Celery Root Soup. I'm not sure how they made it, but I do know that it was not a low-fat version of anything!

To top everything off, we had, of course, pecan and apple pies. Frank and Lori brought over a pumpkin pie, so we had every kind covered. Adam made the crust by hand, which truly makes all the difference.

Pastry for Pies and Tarts (Betty Crocker Bridal Edition)

We used butter instead of shortening. And, we used a food processor for all of the cutting of the butter into the flour, which makes the process really easy and fast. For the apple pie, the recipe needs to be doubled to make enough for the top and bottom crusts.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. shortening
2 to 3 Tbs. cold water

1. Measure 2 Tbs. water into liquid measuring cup; set aside. Place shortening, flour and salt in food processor. Cover and process, using quick on-and-off motions, until mixture is crumbly. With food processor running, pour water all at once through feed tube just until dough leaves side of bowl (dough should not form a ball).
2. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. If desired, wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up the shortening slightly, which helps makes the baked pastry more flaky and lets the water absorb evenly throughout the dough. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches, or 3 inches larger than 10 or 11-inch tart pan. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate; or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked.


Apple Pie (Betty Crocker Bridal Edition)

We forgot to add the butter on top of the apple concoction, but I don't think it tasted as though anything was missing. Why not drop those few calories from the Thanksgiving feast?

Two pie crusts
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
dash of salt
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
2 Tbs. butter, if desired

1. Heat oven to 425. Make pastry.
2. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over apples. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.


Pecan Pie (Betty Crocker Bridal Edition)

One pie crust
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup pecan halves or broken pecans

1. Heat oven to 375. Make pastry for unbaked One-Crust Pie.
2. Beat sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt and eggs in medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set.

Apples Galore!


Every day at the school where I teach, the kids receive a basket full of fruit and vegetables, most of which go untouched. Right before Thanksgiving break, we had about 15 apples left over. I decided to take them home and bring them back to school in the form of muffins to share with the kids and staff as a little Thanksgiving treat. I followed a recipe from Cooking Light with only slight alterations. They turned out wonderfully moist and sweet and, best of all, delicious! They have very little butter or fat, so in addition to being delicious, they truly are nutritious.


Apple Muffins with Walnut Streusel (Cooking Light, May 2005)

The recipe calls for 3/4 cup ground flaxseed. We decided, both because we didn't have flaxseed and because we're slightly scared of flaxseed, to substitute oats, which worked perfectly.

Muffins:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (we used skim)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
1/2 cup golden raisins
cooking spray

Streusel:
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, flaxseed, and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
3. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in apple and raisins. Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
4. To prepare streusel, combine walnuts, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, and chilled butter in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans immediately; place on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.